Actor-comedian-musician Tommy Chong was born in Edmonton, raised in Calgary and moved to Vancouver to pursue a career in music.

That’s where he met Cheech Marin, a draft dodger from Southern California. As Cheech and Chong, the pair found a cult following for a stand-up routine that poked fun at the counter culture. They went on to release best-selling comedy albums and star in a series of films, starting with the 1978 stoner classic, Up In Smoke. Now 78, Chong was at home in Los Angeles when he spoke to the Citizen’s Lynn Saxberg.

Q: You’re making a solo appearance in Ottawa this week. Is that a new thing for you?

A: Cheech and I broke up in ‘84, but actually I didn’t start doing my solo show until ‘91, the same week that Rodney King got his ass whupped. I remember being on stage by myself when that happened. I did a solo show from ‘91 to when I went to jail in ‘03. My wife and I do a show, too, but this will be strictly solo. It has been a while. I just love being on stage talking about me. No music this time, just comedy and a little spiritual insight.

Q: What’s up with Cheech? Do you still perform together?

A: We’ve been going out doing casinos mostly. But we’re working on a reality TV show with weed. Cheech will be involved somewhat, but it’s going to be a Tommy Chong thing.

Q: You went to jail in ’03 for for selling paraphernalia over the Internet. Were you able to get a pardon?

A: Cheech had a meeting this year with Obama about another thing, and Obama said that he would definitely give me a pardon. But to do the paperwork, I have to hire all these lawyers. It’s not worth it. I’m not going to go out of pocket for something that should be given to me so I’m just going to wait it out.

Q: What do you think of the new president?

A: I love him. I gotta tell you the truth. I had a great epiphany. I was really against him right up until he won, and then I had to change my thinking when he gave his acceptance speech. When he said that he was going to rebuild the infrastructure, to me it made all the sense in the world because he’s a builder. He’s a developer. And what better person to have in the White House than a guy who’s going to remodel the country?

Q: What about the wall?

A: The wall is symbolic. What the wall really means is that we have to fix the immigration situation … The way I look at it is, it’s basically lies. He says he saw thousands of Muslims cheering when the World Trade Center went down; all that is to bring attention to the problem. Make the problem bigger than what it really is and then fix it. Don’t just ignore it and sweep it under the rug for the next guy. I think he’s going to be a great president.

Q: You’ve had a couple of bouts with cancer in recent years. Did marijuana help?

A: You know how you forget things when you’re high? Well, one of the things you forget is to be afraid. My take on it is that marijuana heals the brain and the brain controls the body, and the brain controls the immune system. Marijuana calmed me down when I had the cancer treatment that I had, the chemo and radiation. I needed marijuana to keep my weight up and keep my appetite up, and then I was doing marijuana oil after I had the operation and that helped speed the healing. I’m back dancing, I’m playing golf, I’m acting like a teenager.

Q: You must be happy about the trend towards legalization?

A: It’s great. I love it. Do you realize people are being born right now who will never know what we’ve been through? What I went through? It’s like when people talk about the Second World War. ‘You mean it was really illegal? Where?’

Q: Any regrets about devoting your life to weed?

A:Absolutely none. I owe everything I have to it. I’m sitting in my $6-million home with my $50,000 car and I’ve got a grade 11 education from Calgary, Alberta, Canada. I’ve had the best life one could ever hope for.

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